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Bangladesh rising up as fans' eyes on the Tigers

World Cup quarter-finalists for the first time, this World Cup campaign has been one to savour for Bangladesh

The sight of Bangladesh's players flinging themselves into a joyous pile in the middle of Adelaide Oval is a scene that will live long in World Cup history.

As will their sprint across the Adelaide Oval turf to celebrate with the large group of supporters who had cheered their every move for the entire match.

While much focus has centred on the post mortem of England's failure to progress beyond the group stages, Bangladesh deserve their due for their achievements in Adelaide.

First, Mohammad Mahmudullah entered the record books as the first Bangladesh batsman to score a World Cup century.

His superb 103 off 138 balls also figured in two crucial partnerships, of 89 and 141 runs, with Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim.

Mahmudullah ton breaks new ground

Then, excellent bowling and sharp fielding – and an implosion from England's batsmen after an optimistic start – defended a total that had some pundits lamenting at the innings break it was 30 or 40 runs short.

Just how much qualifying for the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time meant to Bangladesh players, coaches and fans alike was obvious.

Their tournament debut came in 1999, when Bangladesh finished fifth out of six teams in their pool. In 2003, they finished bottom of their group, below Canada.

Before Monday's match, their best finish in a World Cup was in 2007, when they eliminated India in a shock upset and qualified for the Super 8s.

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Bangladesh celebrate beating India at the 2007 World Cup // Getty Images

In the 2011 tournament, which followed the same format as the current one, they won three matches and only missed out on advancing to the quarter-finals on net run rate behind West Indies. 

They entered this tournament as the ninth-ranked team and while they reaped the benefits of the washed out match against Australia, picking up a point they might not otherwise have scored, the fact remains Bangladesh beat England when it counted.

Monday's famous victory followed a hard-fought chase against Scotland last week, while Bangladesh's first match of the tournament was a solid victory over Afghanistan.

Tellingly, their three highest scorers in World Cup matches are Mahmudullah (103), Tamim Iqbal (95) and Mushfiqur (89). The three knocks came in Bangladesh's past two matches.

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Mahmudullah salutes after his Adelaide ton // Getty Images

After the victory, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza said the win would be "significant" for Bangladesh cricket.

"Back home people are expecting that we can go through, but we know how difficult it was in Australia because normally we never played in those kind of pitches, like Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide," Mashrafe said.

"So it was very difficult. But the boys have been very confident. They have been working hard. I think it's really helpful for us the way they are working hard.

"Obviously the boys are really happy and hope that is one of the best turns for us and the Bangladesh cricket will move from here."

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The celebrations begin in Adelaide // Getty Images 

Mahmudullah described it as a "great win".

"The way they fought in the middle, and thanks to the bowlers, how they bowled, especially Rubel (Hossain, who finished with 4-53)," Mahmudullah said.

"Mash did a great job and Taskin chipped in so I'm really happy for them."

Alongside Bangladesh at each game have been their fans and on Monday they chanted, cheered and played instruments for close to 100 overs.

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Bangladesh fans in Adelaide // Getty Images

When Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes started scoring crucial boundaries in the final 10 overs to lift England closer to victory, the tone of the Bangladesh cheer squad changed, tension written across their faces.

Then came Buttler's edge behind. Buttler slammed his bat into the pitch in frustration while the crowd leapt to its feet.

Next was the seemingly endless wait while the third umpire reviewed Chris Jordan's run out. Replay after reply was shown from every angle, before a close up, and while the decision itself took at least another 20 seconds the Bangladesh fans had already given their own verdict, standing and lifting their index fingers in the air.

Then Hossain bowled Stuart Broad, followed two balls later by James Anderson.

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Rubel Hossain celebrates the final English wicket // Getty Images 

The reaction from the stands was overwhelming and while there was less than 12,000 people in the stands, it sounded as though there was at least three times as many when standing next to the Bangladesh cheer squad.

While for sheer weight of numbers their supporters can't quite match those of subcontinent neighbours India, Paksitan and Sri Lanka, the Bangladesh fans have been among the most enthusiastic and enjoyable to watch at this tournament.

Even when the Brisbane fixture against Australia was severely delayed and eventually washed out, several thousand turned up to make some noise. It is no wonder the players felt the urge to sprint across Adelaide Oval to thank them.

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Bangladesh players salute their fans // Getty Images

"I always tell the press conference once we come into Australia, we never thought that much crowd will come and supporting us, but it was amazing to see that people from all over the world, even though they stay in Australia, also from back home they are coming to the ground and keep supporting us," Mashrafe said after the match.  "It was amazing."

Now, Bangladesh will get the opportunity to play on the Melbourne Cricket Ground for only the second time in the team's history, where their likely opponent will be India.

Bangladesh have shown time and again they are capable of giant-killing exploits on the grandest of stages. But toppling India in a MCG quarter-final would top any previous achievement.